52 - Local and Wide Area Networking

Abstract

This chapter discusses developments in local area networking and wide area networking. Networks grow and change and it is, therefore, extremely important to support a family of product to meet different network sizes and with the inherent ability to change. The need to deliver a number of different services into a single integrated network requires a range of connectivity solutions such as voice, data, video, image, and LAN. Compression techniques both for voice and data offer advantages in optimizing the digital service. The transmission medium is the physical entity used to convey data over the LAN and includes any active hardware, such as amplifiers, required to regenerate the signal on the medium and any passive hardware, such as taps and connectors, required to provide access to the medium. LAN signaling techniques is divided into baseband and broadband transmission. Baseband transmission utilizes direct encoding to convey digital information in its digital form, to the transmission medium. Broadband transmission utilizes radio frequency modems to convey data signals over the transmission medium because the available bandwidth is divided into separate channels. The repeater is the simplest form of internetworking device and evolved first in conjunction with CSMA/CD-type networks. Repeaters extend the physical range of a LAN by collecting the stream of electrical impulses on one LAN and repeating that signal on to another identical LAN. Network users who want to connect two totally dissimilar LANs together use a gateway.